1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to packaging containers and, more particularly, to packaging containers for simultaneously housing a product, such as a food product, and a premium, such as a promotional item.
2. Background Art
Packaging containers for holding or housing a premium or a promotional item have been known in the art for many years. It is often desirable to use a premium or promotional item to entice a purchaser to buy a particular package, or the product contained within that package. Many times, instead of hiding the promotional item inside of the package where a purchaser cannot see what he or she is receiving, a premium or promotional item is attached to or integrated into the outer portion of the container. For instance, many coupons are readily accessible by peeling the coupons from a cover or protected area of a container.
Other prior art devices have utilized containers and cartons having openings or recessed cavities for receiving three dimensional promotional or display items. For instance, Mason, U.S. Pat. No. 1,585,783; Walter, U.S. Pat. No. 1,911,215; Pardee, U.S. Pat. No. 2,595,202; Curtiss et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,100,595; Dahm, U.S. Pat. No. 3,219,181 and Garmon, U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,148 each disclose containers or cartons having a cut-out in one or more of the front, back or side faces to provide access to the interior of the container. These devices further include a promotional or display item placed proximate the cut-out hole to allow the item to be viewed for display purposes. However, none of these devices include a recessed cell external to the interior of the carton, or a structure for accessing an isolated interior of the carton, other than through the main cut-out hole.
Somewhat similarly, Cote, U.S. Pat. No. 3,625,411; Bolding, U.S. Pat. No. 2,643,811; D""Alessio, U.S. Pat. No. 3,680,687 and Forbes Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 5,413,274 each disclose cartons having a hole in an outer container wall which leads into an isolated internal compartment. In particular, a cut-out is formed in one of the panels of the container blank, which container blank further includes an internal divider or partitioning panel. However, while each carton includes an isolated internal compartment for the potential display and accessibility of a premium or promotional item, none of these references discloses an actual recess in the carton which is formed by a recessing panel integrated directly into one of the front, rear or two side panels of the carton. Moreover, none of the internal compartments are accessible from two different faces of the container.
Also related, Strehlow, U.S. Pat. No. 6,173,833 and Brauner, U.S. Pat. No. 5,379,886, disclose cereal cartons with a hole or cut-out opening in the front panel, and a promotional insert tray which fits into the hole. The tray is covered by a clear membrane, and includes a flange which abuts the outer front surface of the front panel of the carton to keep the tray in the cut-out opening. An additional clear adhesive label is secured over the membrane and tray to prevent tampering with the tray before purchase of the cereal box.
While the Strehlow and Brauner cereal containers have worked well to display a promotional item packaged in a tray to entice a purchaser, neither container makes use of an integral recessing panel to create a recessed cell for housing a premium or promotional item. Furthermore, the premium opening in the Strehlow and Brauner containers spans only one face of the container, thus precluding viewability, removability and access to the premium or promotional item through multiple faces or sides of the package. Neither container is capable of housing a premium or promotional item which requires purchaser interaction and access to the promotional device from more than one face. Moreover, inasmuch as the Strehlow and Brauner premium tray is held inside the cut-out opening in the container by a clear plastic membrane, all access to the promotional device is precluded unless the seal is broken.
Accordingly, it is a goal in the art to provide a container having a recessed cell separated from the interior of the container for housing a premium or promotional item. It is a further goal to allow access to the interior or contents of the container through an opening or location separate from the opening which leads to or houses the recessed cell.
It is also desirable to provide a carton construction which allows for access to the recessed cell from two different sides or faces of the container, to provide access to a premium or promotional item housed within the recessed cell from multiple orientations and/or angles. This is particularly desirable where the premium or promotional item includes an interactive element which exceeds the boundary of the recessed cell when used by a purchaser.
At the same time, it is a goal to provide a recessed cell which retains a premium or promotional item in a secured manner to prevent inadvertent or easy removal thereof.
It is likewise a goal in the art to provide a carton having a recessed cell which has at least one backing panel to add structural integrity to the recessed cell for housing a premium or promotional item, while allowing the container to be formed from a substantially unitary paperboard blank.
These and other desirous characteristics of the present invention will become apparent in light of the present specification (including claims) and drawings.
The present invention is directed to a container apparatus for simultaneously housing a product and a premium. The container apparatus comprises a carton and a premium item. The carton includes a front panel, a back panel and two opposing side panels defining an interior region, and a top closure and a bottom closure for enclosing a product within the carton. A recessing flap is formed in an originating panel selected from at least one of the front panel, back panel, two opposing side panels and top and bottom closures to form a recessed cell in the carton which is at least partially separated from the interior region of the carton.
In one preferred embodiment, the originating panel is the back panel of the carton. In another preferred embodiment, the originating panel is a side panel of the carton. In still another preferred embodiment, the originating panel is one of the panels which forms the top or bottom closure.
The recessing flap preferably includes a backing panel for the recessed cell and a depth-gauging panel joining the originating panel and the backing panel. The backing panel and depth-gauging panels provide structural integrity to the recessed cell. The depth-gauging panel further determines the depth of the recessed cell.
The recessed cell spans the originating panel and at least one adjacent access panel in the container which is positioned adjacent to the originating panelxe2x80x94to allow access to the recessed cell from outside the carton through at least two adjacent sides of the carton. In one preferred embodiment, the adjacent access panel includes at least one catch region to facilitate retention of the premium item in the recessed cell.
In another preferred embodiment, the originating panel and/or the adjacent access panel includes at least one push-in flap to further isolate the recessed cell from the interior region of the carton. Likewise, the push-in flaps may further provide added structural strength to the recessed cell.
The premium item is preferably received in the recessed cell such that the premium item is accessible from at least two sides of the carton. The premium item may be selected from a number of different configurations, and may include an interactive element capable of manipulation without interfering with the interior region of the carton, to enable facilitated viewing and/or playing of a premium without detachment of the premium from the carton. In one preferred embodiment, the premium item includes a viewing portion and a boundary exceeding member, wherein the boundary exceeding member is capable of manipulation for movement between a position substantially inside the recessed cell to a position substantially outside of the recessed cell.
In a preferred embodiment, the premium item includes a tray for housing a promotional item. The tray may include a cover which is at least partially transparent so that the promotional item is visible inside the tray. The tray may also include a flange for abutting at least a portion of the originating panel and/or the adjacent access panel to facilitate retention of the tray in the recessed cell. The tray may further include a removable side flap to provide an additional premium bearing opportunity.
Further, a packaging card may be included for housing the premium item in the recessed cell. The packaging card may be retained in the recessed cell by a friction fit, or with an adhesive. The packaging card may be adhered to at least one of the originating panel, the recessing panel and/or the adjacent access panel.